ABSTRACT
Adequate studies are considered to fulfil the following criteria: freedom from major design flaws that might invalidate the conclusions; use of an appropriate control group and adequate sampling; relative freedom from bias; employment of reasonably objective, reliable, and valid criteria measures. Less confidence can be placed in the statements made about the effects of psychotherapy from questionable studies. Some will claim that it is commonplace to make imbeciles out of taxpayers, but the thought that psychotherapy can make taxpayers out of imbeciles is heartening. The physician was in charge of all patients and the ancillary personnel were constant. One group received ninety-minute group psychotherapy sessions twice a week for thirteen weeks. One of the most convincing demonstrations of the efficacy of a particular type of psychotherapy in removing a specific maladaptive symptom came from the Psychiatric Unit of Witwatersrand University Medical School in South Africa.
